Past research has confirmed that workplace design affects employee productivity. It is known to affect the employees both psychologically and professionally. Past researchers have looked at it from ergonomic, architectural and other perspectives. However, this research is limited to certain professions such as nursing and construction. However, the research indicates that sing workplace design it is possible to improve productivity of employees in other professions as well. This research aims to focus on how workplace designs can improve productivity of teachers. Teaching is an intellectual/ non manual work and hence design considerations for teachers should be more psychological in nature. Little research has been conducted on improving workplaces designs for non manual workers. Also past research has not paid sufficient attention to gender aspects of workplace design. This research looks at how designers’ consideration of culture, gender and profession of the occupants at the time of designing will affect employees’ perception of the psychological, social and functional quality of their workplace and consequently their productivity. This research primarily fills three gaps in existing literature: Firstly, it focuses on gender of occupants and how considering this during workplace design can affect the productivity of employees. Secondly, it looks at impact of workplace design on teachers, who carry out intellectual non manual work. Thirdly, this study is conducted in context of Saudi Arabia with an aim to reduce the scarcity of similar research in context of Saudi Arabia. Data or this research was collected in two stages. Firstly, female academics provided self-observation data in form of comments using a mobile app which was developed specifically for the purpose of this research. This data was quantified using thematic analysis approach and quantified data was analysed using regression analysis. The second aspect of this research included collecting quantitative data using semi-structured interviews with designers who have worked on designing all-female universities in Saudi Arabia. This research finds that by taking cultural, gender and professional factors into consideration it is possible to improve the social, psychological and functional experience of occupants of the workplace and this is likely to improve their ability to achieve organisational and personal objectives. This research, thus concludes that cultural, gender and professional consideration affect the employees; ability to contribute to employees’ and organisational outcomes.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Garret L. Lukens, for the Master of Architecture Degree in Architecture, presented on June 26, 2009, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: Office Design: Designing for Productivity in the Workplace MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Craig Anz This paper presents the potential for productivity in the workplace and the factors that influence it as it pertains to an architectural design project in Carbondale, IL. The project focuses on the physical, psychological, and functional affects that the built environment has, both negatively and positively, on the occupants of the facility. The design project is a 3-story office building for Leo Burnett Advertising Agency that will strive to increase the productivity of the staff within the spatial structure. As companies struggle to meet the financial demands of today's market, they tend to lose sight of the potential for productivity when faced with the initial and operational costs of the facility in which they work. Instead of trying to bring in an over abundance of employees to compensate for the lack of quality and production, employers should consider what can be done to unveil the potential of the current employees and increase their productivity. There are many factors that affect the productivity of people within their work environment. Environmental and workplace design plays a significant role on the productivity levels of the employees that work in an office building. Ensuring that employees have proper workstations to meet their needs, comfortable and healthy work conditions, and spaces that they enjoy to work in aids in their productivity. The building typology as well as the unique programmatic demands would challenge any designer to create a space that increases productivity for the workers and inspires their minds to create for themselves.

Over 60% of the adult population in the United Kingdom is now overweight or obese or classed as plus size . This is higher than almost all other developed countries in the world. Even with numerous public health interventions, the incidence of being plus size continues to rise potentially changing the demographics of the working population. This presents a challenge to those involved in workplace design as the design process relies upon the utilization of appropriate anthropometric data to establish the percentage of the user population that will be accommodated by the design. The aim of this thesis is to identify issues affecting plus size people in the working environment, not previously explored within the literature. Furthermore, by understanding the size and shape of this population via the collection of key anthropometric data, this will help inform the design of safe, comfortable, inclusive and productive working environments for plus size people within the United Kingdom. A first stage Scoping Study (n=135) found that fit (equipment, tools, furniture, uniforms and personal protective equipment) and space (circulation and shared spaces within the working environment) were issues of concern to plus size people. This suggests that aspects of the current design of the workplace are not suitable, and may even exclude plus size people. A better understanding of the anthropometric requirements of plus size workers is therefore required. Self-reported anthropometric data is an acceptable way of studying large and geographically diverse populations and may assist in accessing the hard to reach plus size working population. A validation study (n=20) established that self measurement of 14 key anthropometric measurements, using a self measurement instruction guide, was a feasible and acceptable data collection method for a larger scale anthropometric study to further understand the body size and shape of plus size people at work. A unique measure of knee splay (for a non-pregnant population) was included. Defined as the distance between the outer borders of the knees whilst seated in the preferred sitting position it represents the observed sitting postures of plus size individuals not captured in existing anthropometric data sources. The larger scale Plus Size Anthropometry Study (n=101) collected anthropometric data of plus size working age people via self measurement. The findings indicated that the study population was substantially larger in circumference, depth and breadth measurements than the population of existing anthropometric data sources. Knee splay was also identified as a key anthropometric variable for plus size people, however, it is not included in any datasets or literature relating to plus size people at work. These factors may contribute to high exclusion rates from current design practices that seek to accommodate the 5th to 95th or 99th percentile of users and may explain the high incidence of fit and space issues reported by participants with a BMI over 35kg/m2 . Finally, semi structured interviews with stakeholders (n=10) explored how they would like the data from the plus size anthropometry study communicated and any additional requirements of a resource aimed at supporting stakeholders in meeting the needs of plus size people within the working environment. The primary concern from stakeholders was the lack of existing data on the size and shape of the plus size working population and the importance of access to such data in whatever format. A range of ideas were suggested including case studies, guidance and access to training which may assist them in understanding the needs of their end users ultimately supporting the inclusion of plus size people in workplace design.

This practicum sets out to address several challenges faced by a multinational corporation operating within a globalized marketplace through the reconsideration of its workplace design. The aim is to achieve a balance between cultural adaptation and standardized corporate identity in the design for the hypothetical multinational management consulting company, Torrent. The balance is perused in order to support Japanese and Canadian national-work-cultures, the two cultures on which the practicum is based, while creating a strong, consistent, and recognizable visual identity across its different subsidiaries. The practicum’s overall objective is to demonstrate how both of these themes can be achieved simultaneously in order to create a balance that benefits both the multinational company as well as its host country. The practicum’s outcome involves two design solutions developed for Torrent based on a single workplace, one responding to Japan’s national work culture, and the other to Canada’s. A standardized corporate identity is achieved through the communication of a consistent company identity in both workplace designs.

Standup forklift trucks are extensively used primarily for material handling in high density warehouses. These forklifts over the years have been involved in severe accidents causing injuries and taking lives of the operator and that of people on the floor. The major accidents involving these trucks are tip-over, off the dock accidents, compartment intrusions and under the rack injuries. The objective of the work is to analyze the accident data and to provide a conceptual design to ensure safety of the operator riding the standup forklift trucks. The operator is assumed to be safe when retained within the compartment similar to that of the safe space environment of a sit down forklift truck or tractors. Thus a door on the standup forklift would provide a safer compartment. This design would help in preventing severe injuries to the operator in case of any accidents. The important criterion of this design is to provide a door with latch and slide mechanism to ensure easy egress and ingress of the operator. The compartment is designed ergonomically for 95th percentile industrial male population. The accident data is studied by performing statistical and failure analysis. Weibull plots are fitted for life time distribution data and are found to be of increasing rate. This suggests that present safety precautions are increasingly ineffective.

This practicum sets out to address several challenges faced by a multinational corporation operating within a globalized marketplace through the reconsideration of its workplace design. The aim is to achieve a balance between cultural adaptation and standardized corporate identity in the design for the hypothetical multinational management consulting company, Torrent. The balance is perused in order to support Japanese and Canadian national-work-cultures, the two cultures on which the practicum is based, while creating a strong, consistent, and recognizable visual identity across its different subsidiaries. The practicum’s overall objective is to demonstrate how both of these themes can be achieved simultaneously in order to create a balance that benefits both the multinational company as well as its host country. The practicum’s outcome involves two design solutions developed for Torrent based on a single workplace, one responding to Japan’s national work culture, and the other to Canada’s. A standardized corporate identity is achieved through the communication of a consistent company identity in both workplace designs.

Recent and current socio-cultural trends are significant factors impacting on how business is conduced and correspondingly, on how work environments are designed. New communication technology is helping to break physical boundaries and change the way and speed of conducting business. One of the main characteristics of these new workplaces is non-permanency wherein the individual employee has no dedicated personally assigned office, work station, or desk. In this non-territorial, nomadic situation, employees undertake their work tasks in a wide variety of work settings inside and outside the office building. Such environments are understood to be must suitable where there is the need for high interaction with others as well as a high level of concentrated, independent work. This thesis reports on a project designed to develop a deeper understanding of the relationships between people (P) and their built environment (E) in the context of everyday work practice in a nomadic and non-territorial work environment. To achieve this, the study focuses on the experiences of employees as they understand them in relation to their work and the designed/ physical work environment. In this sense, the study is qualitative and grounded in nature. It does not assume any previously established theory nor test any presenting hypothesis. Instead it interviews the participants about their situations at work in their workplace, interprets natural interaction and creates a foundation for the development of theory informing workplace design, particularly theory that recognises the human nature of work and the need, as highlighted by several seminal researchers, for a greater understanding of how people manage and adapt in dynamic work environments.

The workplace environment is intrinsically dynamic, yet architecturally it is treated as something that is fixed. Functional layouts specific to the thinking of the time (zeitgeist) are built into the structure leaving little opportunity for adaptation. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Johnson Wax building is one such example; built to function in the Taylorist paradigm with little scope for alteration. The contemporary workplace often lends itself to the adaptive reuse of a range of building typologies or the construction of new structures with Green Star ratings. At the same time, a significant amount of office buildings, constructed prior to the green building movement of the 1990’s, are still in use, despite the typically hermetic and unhealthy spaces they contain. The possibility of adapting an office building from pre-1990 building stock is investigated. Previous workplace layouts inhibited conversation (since interaction in the workplace was frowned upon), but today workplaces are designed with social interaction as its core. The largely unused potential of this aspect within corporate culture and the influence it might have on spatial organisations is investigated. Interior architecture, as mediator between office buildings’ accommodation and their dynamic programs, forms the premise of the study. The hypothesis that an interior architectural intervention can make a positive translation from an unhealthy to a healthy building is tested by designing for the interplay between the character of a space and its design elements. The design process is guided by the Open Building methodology of fixed, semi-fixed and loose-fit. The intervention translates this methodology into a responsive and context conscious proposal with an emphasis on the users and their sense of place. Finally, traditional architectural elements are reinterpreted in terms of their ability to enable or disable interaction between users according to the theory of social friction. Three types of interaction are considered: official meetings, casual meetings and chance encounters. Human interaction, central to the creation of a workplace as opposed to a work space, is a constant theme throughout the study. / Dissertation MInt(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2013 / Architecture / MInt(Prof) / Unrestricted

Globally, there is an ageing population resulting in an older workforce; in the UK it is predicted that by 2050 over one third of the workforce will be aged over 50. Construction involves heavy manual labour where working into later life may be difficult and natural, age-related decline is exacerbated by working conditions. Co-developing ideas with workers using participatory approaches can facilitate positive, healthy change in the workplace. The aim of this thesis is to explore ways in which construction workers jobs and workplaces can be made healthier, easier and safer to facilitate healthy ageing and longer working lives. An in-depth interview study with 80 construction workers explored their understanding of their health and wellbeing at work and ideas for improvement. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire identified a high prevalence of symptoms in workers of all ages in the knees, lower back, wrists and hands. Many of these symptoms were considered to be work related; interestingly, this did not affect Work Ability Index ratings. Workers had good ideas to improve their health and wellbeing at work; over 400 changes had been made or were being sustained by workers around improving manual handling, PPE, tools and machinery and health and wellbeing. A further 265 new suggestions were made concerned with education and supervision, facilities and human resources. In-depth focus groups with senior stakeholders (n=18) in three construction organisations explored barriers and opportunities for change. They were concerned about the health and wellbeing of their workers; were keen to hear their ideas; and identified poor communication within the whole workforce as a barrier to change. Opportunities to improve the situation included better feedback to workers, and interactive toolbox talks to encourage idea generation and sharing experiences. Finally, participatory workshops with senior stakeholders and trades workers (n=23) captured ideas for the development of a resource for the industry to facilitate longer working lives. Participants strongly suggested that the resource should facilitate communication between the workforce and supervisors by being visually engaging, strongly health-related and interactive, to capture and maintain the attention and involvement of the workforce.

The goal of this diploma thesis is to design a robotized workplace for treatment of thermoplastic products based on documentation from a real project announced by Form s. r. o. In order to understand a problematic of robots and robotized workplaces, the theoretic introduction in the beginning of work is reserved for. Besides a brief summary of robot history the introduction brings also some overview on present robot applications and it tries to classify robots into various groups according different standpoints. The main part of the theory however deals with optimized design of robotized workplaces by using a systematic approach. The topic covers also a robot safety. There are mentioned sources of safety risks and ways how to avoid them. The presented theory is at last used in the following, most crucial, part of the thesis – the final design itself. An attention is focused mainly to a design of a revolving positioner, which becomes a key element of whole workplace. Different design variants of inner most significant mechanisms are presented and by using sophisticated methods, the best solutions are chosen. Finally a simulation of whole robotized workplace is made and conclusions based on real implementation are summarized.